Ka-Pow 101: Aldrich Killian and AIM

Iron Man 3 comes out this week and I wanted to share a little comic book background for a couple of things. If you saw my Phase One unboxing, you probably caught a glimpse of a fun little piece of memorabilia: an AIM business card of CEO Aldrich Killian. Check it out:

So today’s Ka-Pow 101 will address who is Aldrich Killian and what is AIM. Hit the jump to learn more, but keep in mind: any information from the comics may be unintentional spoilers for Iron Man 3.

Aldrich Killian

In 2005, Marvel launched a new volume of the Iron Man title under an initial arc written by Warren Ellis. That arc was titled “Extremis” and addressed a new status quo following the major Avengers event, Disassembled. Extremis is potentially one of the most influential Iron Man stories. Small elements of the story were used in the first Iron Man movie including scenes of Iron Man’s origin and Adi Granov’s designs for the armor. In issue #1, we meet Aldrich Killian, a scientist working for FuturePharm. He types out a confession for stealing the Extremis serum and distributing it to others. Then, he commits suicide. That is the comic book existence of Aldrich Killian. The character’s role remains to be seen, but the company he works has even wider implications.

AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics)

Some of you may remember HYDRA from Captain America as a Nazi R&D branch headed by the Red Skull. In the comics, HYDRA was created as an underground organization led by Nazi super-spy Baron Von Strucker. He also created, as separate branches of HYDRA, the Secret Empire which would infiltrate the US government in secret and Advanced Idea Mechanics which would create weaponry for HYDRA’s use. AIM would eventually separate from HYDRA and come under the leadership of either a Board of Directors (Huh… like a company?) or the Scientist Supreme.

What impact will this have on the movies? No way to know for sure. AIM is one of many terrorist organizations in the Marvel universe, and the Iron Man movies have subtly introduced a new one in the Ten Rings led by the Mandarin. AIM is credited for creating the cosmic cube in the comics which was used in Phase One. They have also been involved with the creation of MODOK, a homicidal android, and Super-Adaptoid, an android with power-copying abilities. Both of which have given the Avengers a run on a few occasions. Hawkeye mentions SHIELD’s many enemies in The Avengers, so one can only assume AIM’s inclusion will have lasting effects on the Marvel Cinematic Universe on a grander scale.